Broken Barriers (Barriers Series Book 4)

by Shirley, Sara

  Cole took an extremely long sip of her wine before leaning back into her chair. “You military guys certainly don’t have any issues with your abruptness, do you?” A wide grin formed on her lips as she made a joking observation. Her response processed in my head, and I wondered if Everett ever attempted to hook up with her. I didn’t want to assume, but then again, I didn’t want to ask, either. My head turned back to look at the guys playing horseshoes in the yard. Everett was standing off to the side and noticed me watching him and raised his beer bottle in my direction. Without meeting her eyes, I asked, “Are you and Everett...”

  Cole burst into laughter, holding her glass away from her, careful not to spill any of the liquid. “God, no! Not that it’s any of your business, since I just met you and all.” She shook her head and turned to look back at the partygoers. “But, I wouldn’t be caught dead with any of those meatheads over there, especially Everett. He’s Morgan’s problem.” She adjusted her body slightly so she could cross her legs and stared back at the water. All my attention was now focused on the bare skin of her legs instead of her face, and my mind instantly wandered.

  I needed to snap out of it. I had to keep the right head in check tonight.

  “Uh…is there anyone here tonight I need to be worried might get the wrong impression if I’m talking to you?” I was not even sure why I cared. It was just nice to have a conversation with someone who wasn’t judging me for my past mistakes. I was certainly not in any way looking for a steady girlfriend, but if the cards were right, I had to go all in.

  Light giggles came from her direction as she rested her chin on her hand. Her elbow raised on the armrest as she stared at me with her soft doe eyes. “Tell me, Drew. If I let you have sex with me tonight, how awkward would the rest of your time here at the lake be if you ran into me? Because I’m pretty sure all you Marines are the same here. ‘Fuck ‘em and dump ‘em.’ Isn’t that the phrase you guys use? I’m also certain this won’t be the last you’ll see me around town, and you don’t want to piss me off.”

  My mouth went slack and my eyes wide after Cole’s insinuation about me only wanting to use her for sex. I was at a loss for words and had to wonder what other Marines had given her the idea that we were all the same. “Cole…N-no-no. I think you took that the wrong way,” I said, trying to patch up the shitty start to our conversation.

  Yeah, we were typically horny bastards by nature, but there were still a few good ones mixed in. Drill weekends, before I went on active duty, consisted of nothing but sex, booze, and strip joints. It was like a college frat party once a month for years, and it was wonderful. My anger needed an outlet after college. My wrestling career and frat years were over, but the pain inside never subsided. My family never assumed I lived this life of sin and torment, and they never would, either. There had only been one person who was able to tame that beast after all those years of pointless sex and binge drinking. I couldn’t help but wonder if my life was bound to head back in the same direction without her. Was I destined to live in the past or be alone forever? Surely, my outlook on life had to change for the better. After all, that was the reason why I came up here to the lake, wasn’t it?

  I heard my name from afar and then a set of fingers was snapping in front of my face. My eyes roamed and blinked until I saw clearly. All of a sudden, my mind was back from the flashbacks. Cole knelt before me, her concerned eyes scanned my face for something. “Where’d you go?” she quietly asked as I stared down at her toward my feet. I leaned back in the cheap plastic beach chair. My mouth suddenly went as dry as sandpaper. I took the final swig of beer and placed the empty bottle onto the sand next to me.

  “You know I was only kidding about the sex thing, right?” Cole’s face pained with worry. “I don’t quite have a filter anymore, sorry. I have too many spoiled rich guys and military men who vacation at the lake in the summers thinking I’m an easy one-night stand.” Her hand gently rested on my knee that until then I had no idea was bouncing nervously. As my knee stilled, her face relaxed. “But, I sense there is something different about you. A darkness within your soul, perhaps? You’ve got a hurt inside that only a certain someone can understand…” Her last words were barely audible, as her voice grew weak. A single tear slowly fell along her cheek. If I weren’t so close to see the dampness glistening from the fire, no one would have seen it. I didn’t think she realized I could see the depths of her own soul being released in that lone teardrop.

  With a deep breath, I leaned down closer to her face. As my thumb was about to wipe away the tear, her eyes closed, and she pulled back the slightest bit. “I have a feeling we are a lot alike, you and me,” I said.

  Cole’s eyes fluttered open, and she turned away, avoiding any connection with me. She dragged her teeth over her lower lip before glancing back at me. “Just please don’t prove me wrong if I take that chance on getting to know you, Drew.” Cole rose to her feet and quickly excused herself.

  I watched from my chair as she rushed into the house. Morgan noticed Cole’s quick departure and moved away from the group of guys she was chatting with. She narrowed her eyes in my direction, unsure of what was going on, but assuming I was somehow involved. Within seconds, she was rushing inside the house with her red cup in hand and a scowl on her face clearly meant for me. If I weren’t used to people being so quick to judge me, I might have been a little offended. Actually, it was easier that way. By them not knowing my past, they couldn’t judge my life now, and therefore couldn’t attempt to fix my future.

  The clank of metal and flying horseshoes had me rising from my chair and heading in the direction of the guys. I grabbed another bottle of beer deep within the ice of the cooler and a couple of slices of pizza from the table. I woofed down the pizza before I reached Everett and the other guys standing next to the horseshoe pits.

  As I twisted off the bottle cap and chugged back some ice cold beer, I saw Everett toss his final horseshoe into the air. Locke dropped his head after he heard the chink of the metal connecting. Everett had clearly beaten him by a mile, and Locke knew he’d been defeated as he spouted out profanity after profanity.

  I snickered at his response. There were a many number of days with my unit where we’d reacted exactly the same way. We seriously did some fucked-up shit just to pass the time while overseas. Drill weekends and being on base stateside weren’t all that different either, but at least here we were able to hop into the car and head out to the local bar, bowling alley, or strip club. Shit, the guys in my unit and I swore the strip club closest to the base in California had some of the trashiest strippers around, but they served the best fucking pizza hands down. A man’s got to feed his stomach as well as his sexual desires. Put those two things together, and fuck yeah, it was heaven.

  Everett laughed and flexed before kissing his biceps and grabbing his dick. He taunted Locke with sweet kisses as Everett backed away, laughing until he turned and headed toward me. Everett raised his beer bottle, and we clinked the glasses between us.

  “Having fun with Cole, are you?” Everett asked as he continued to watch Locke get his ass beat in horseshoes by Deroche. My eyes roamed to the house where she had yet to come back outside to join everyone. I probably should have gone inside and saw what was going on. I couldn’t understand why she had just run inside the way she did. I was pretty sure I didn’t say anything. I just had an unshakeable sense that something was wrong, but I could have very well been overthinking it. I barely knew her, but I usually could read people pretty well. The perceptions inside my head told me there was a similar pain forming inside her that lived within me. I couldn’t explain it. It was just there.

  Everett caught me staring silently at the house. “Dude, what did I tell you at the bar? Don’t get involved with either of those two chicks.” He took a long pull from his beer bottle and crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head at me. “C’mon. I think it’s time you finally got initiated into our little group of Marines here.” Everett stuck his fingers into hi
s mouth and let a whistle blow, garnering the attention of all the partygoers. “Boys.” He stood next to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. My eyes grew wide with suspicion, wondering what he was possibly going to announce. “I believe our boy Drew here needs to meet the infamous Risqué Rae.”

  I tilted my head at Everett, as the rest of the guys threw high-fives at each other and laughed. “Do I even want to ask?”

  With a final slap to my shoulder, he backed away. “Tomorrow night. You and I are making a special trip to Naughty Nick’s. Risqué Rae and her girls will make you forget all about those two chicks in the house. Trust me.” Everett snickered, secretly telling me he knew something, but he was not telling me.

  With a final glance at the house, I noticed Morgan and Cole inside. Morgan appeared to be consoling Cole as her body was slouched over. She was rubbing her hand over Cole’s back. As Morgan brought Cole into an embrace, Cole’s face looked up, and her eyes stared back at me. I didn’t know if she saw me in the darkness, but I saw her. There was that look in her eyes that spoke only to me.

  A cool evening breeze wafted off the lake, distracting me from Cole. I turned back to face Everett, who was still talking about Naughty Nick’s with Locke and Deroche. The casual strip club conversation seemed natural, but I knew they were plotting something evil. Whoever this Risqué Rae was, she was bound to be trouble.

  I tapped Everett on the shoulder with the back of my hand to grab his attention from the other guys. I lifted my chin in Cole’s direction. “What’s Cole’s story, man?” His demeanor instantly changed. All of a sudden, his mood went from anxiously awaiting a guys’ night at the strip joint to despondent and remorseful. He offered to step off to the side, away from the others, and I suddenly got the feeling that whatever he was about to tell me was not good.

  He paused next to the fire pit and tossed his now empty beer bottle into the fire. He stood there with his hands in his pockets and watched the glass succumb to the roaring flames. I waited silently, but analyzed his expression. After a long, drawn-out breath, he turned to look at me. “Cole’s story isn’t one I should be telling you. She’s had a tough couple of years, and if she didn’t have her business here and the rest of us around, I’d be worried about her living alone in that house of hers. But, that look I just saw from her in there,” Everett pointed his thumb in the direction of the house, “I haven’t seen that in nearly two years.”

  My eyes narrowed at that last statement as confusion set in. Was it something about me or something I said that caused this? Was he trying to accuse me of saying something to upset her? “Dude, one minute she was joking and laughing, and the next she was sad and running into the house on the brink of tears.” My fingers scratched the day-old scruff on my jaw as I tried to figure this all out. “I didn’t say anything that I know of that could have hurt her, honest,” I explained just as the door slammed shut behind us. The girls hopped down the stairs, quickly closing the distance between us.

  “Drew, I believe you didn’t do anything. She’ll tell you if the time is ever right. Just be careful with her, and don’t press her to tell you. It’s better that way for now. If you can do that, she’ll be back to her usual unfiltered smart-ass ways in no time.” Everett slapped my shoulder and took off just before Morgan and Cole were upon us. Morgan followed him as she playfully punched him in the side before slapping his ass. Everett grabbed her side, making her yelp until she ran away from him, laughing. For someone who had warned me so much about staying away from those two girls, Everett didn’t listen to his own words of advice from the looks of it.

  Cole stood next to me nervously biting her lip. “Hey.” I grabbed her attention as she raised her head to look at me through hooded eyes. “I hope I didn’t say anything wrong before.” She shook her head, silently telling me it wasn’t me or anything I might have said. I hope.

  “Drew, I probably should apologize for just rushing off from you.” Cole’s head dropped as though she was embarrassed about how she handled things. I placed my index finger under her chin, and she didn’t flinch or back away this time. I could feel the warmth of her skin as I pushed her chin up to look at me. Her eyes closed, avoiding me.

  “Listen to me.” Her eyes slowly opened. “There is nothing you need to apologize for. How about you and I start this all over again?” I dropped my finger from under her chin and extended my hand. “Hi. My name’s Drew Daley. I’m staying down the street and just returned from Afghanistan.” A narrow smile crept over her face as she shook my hand.

  “My name is Cole Porter, local business owner and resident smart ass who lives across the bay.” And just like that, anything that happened not more than twenty minutes before was behind us. But, the mystery behind it all still remained. As much as I wanted to know what happened in her past, I had much rather gotten to know the woman who was captivating me with just one look.

  “So, Cole Porter.” Our hands were still connected as she pushed her windswept hair off her face. “Would it be too bold to ask you out to dinner one night this week?”

  She held her head up high and smirked at me. “Oh…I’ll go out to dinner with you, Drew Daley, but I get to choose the time and place. Deal?”

  I was skeptical in giving her the power to decide, but I couldn’t say no to her. She was just too damn cute in a sexy Siren kind of way. “You drive a hard bargain, Ms. Porter, but it’s a deal.” And with one final handshake between us, I had secured my first actual date with a girl in well over two years.

  Everett’s car slowly pulled into the jam-packed parking lot. The neon lights were ablaze against the black sky of the night. Naughty Nick’s flashed across the marquis of the one-story building. A couple of liquor stores, banks, and fast-food joints were the last things we passed about three miles back. It was as though they knew exactly what a guy wanted before and after hitting up a strip club. Naughty Nick’s was situated in the middle of nowhere, but just within a stone’s throw of New Hampshire’s capital city.

  Everett threw his car into park, and I glanced out the window at the tacky white backlighted neon sign with black square lettering. Special Guest Tonight: Porn Star Luscious Leanne. My eyes remained focused on the words as we exited the car. Luscious Leanne and I had several nights while I was overseas where she brought me some great pleasure. She was literally a porn star extraordinaire, and she was here tonight. My dick suddenly stirred just thinking about some of her award-winning performances.

  I straightened my jeans and my striped button-down oxford shirt with my sleeves rolled up tightly around my elbows. With a final glance at my reflection in the car window, I headed toward Everett who was already near the entrance where Locke was standing guard. His face lit up like a kid about to be turned loose in a toy store. I laughed a little at his enthusiasm. When at a strip club, the Marines would play. There was no doubt about that.

  When I caught up to him, I heard the sounds of the thumping club music through the darkened glass doors. Locke told us the place was packed, and Deroche was moved inside due to the number of people at the club to see Luscious Leanne.

  We paid the cover charge and stepped foot into the venue. From the outside, I couldn’t tell this was one of the premier gentlemen’s clubs in the area. Once we walked inside, it was like we were in a Roman coliseum. This was like the Taj Mahal of strip joints. There was one center stage draped in stage lighting with two poles on either end. Men crammed around each other to sit at the edge of the stage, watching as one of the strippers twerked her thong-covered ass in front of them. A few other men sat at the tables around the stage with their drinks and cigars. From the looks of them, they were clearly ordering a few private shows with the club girls who made their rounds in cheap pleather and latex fabric that left nothing to the imagination. This place wasn’t a run-down strip joint that smelled of old beer spills and men’s leftover jizz. Instead, it was definitely high class and didn’t bring in the everyday clientele.

  A few loud hoots and flashbulbs started to go off arou
nd me. In my head, my mind was suddenly right back in the thick of the war. I was driving the MRAP down the small narrow streets of the town nearby, and then moments later, we were in the clearing and there was nothing for miles but sand. My eyes had been taught to scope out anything suspicious. Nothing could have made me suspect the trigger line on the ground until it was too late. The white light surrounded us. The dust and debris shot everywhere. During that attack, we were fortunate that nothing infiltrated the MRAP Humvee we were in, but the memory still haunted me while I slept at night.

  Slamming my eyes shut, I tried to block out the horrific images that ran through my mind. Through all the chaotic mess, I heard Everett’s muffled voice calling my name, and my eyes darted open. He stood in front of me along with a scantily dressed girl no more than twenty-one. Dear God I hoped she was at least twenty-one, as my eyes had already undressed her twice in my head. Her fake tits were barely covered by the outfit she was wearing. She was holding a tray of colorful test tubes, which I knew were overpriced girlie concoctions. If I was here, I was getting a man’s drink and not some pink, blue, or purple glowing test tube. When I shook my head declining the shot, she turned to the next set of guys. She would have allowed my mouth to take that shot right out of her tits, but I wasn’t feeling it at the moment.

  Everett handed me a beer bottle he must have somehow grabbed on the way in. As he stood next to me, we scoped the scene out. My adrenaline level had leveled a bit, and at the next round of flashes going off, I wasn’t nearly as jumpy. My head turned in that direction only to see the camera phones flashing as guys took their pictures with the one and only Luscious Leanne.